


We Both Know this Isn't What You Wanted

by the_things_nobody_asks



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Death, F/F, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-01-27 12:01:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21391819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_things_nobody_asks/pseuds/the_things_nobody_asks
Summary: Post-S3, Adora finds Catra in the woods and brings her back to tend her wounds. Drama ensues. Technically not a S4 spoiler, but....kind of?
Relationships: catradora - Relationship
Comments: 27
Kudos: 337





	1. What If...

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the start of this 24 hours BEFORE S4 was released, and I'm actually impressed by my character predictions.

Adora woke with a start. In her nightmare, she saw Catra pull the switch again, and again. The price they paid was too much to bear -but they had to. The horde had to be stopped once and for all. She tossed and turned for a while but couldn’t go back to sleep, so she went for a walk. She brought her sword for good measure. Adora couldn’t remember the last time she went into the whispering woods and didn’t run into Catra. Tonight was no exception, but it was different. Not 500 feet into the woods and Adora saw her, unbelieving at first. Catra was...asleep? No. Unconscious. 

Even after everything, there was no hesitation. Without having time to process the anger and sadness that stirred within her upon first recognizing the fallen shape on the ground, Adora rushed to Catra’s side, which appeared to be scraped. “Catra,” she almost whispered, shaking her gently. Catra’s arm was cut and she had some bruises around her shoulder. How did she get here? “Catra.” A harder shake. A groan escaped her throat and Catra’s eyes fluttered, but that was it. 

Adora scooped her up and brought her back to her room. Glimmer would be busy with her new royal duties all morning; they could be undisturbed until then. Adora laid Catra on the bed and began to tend to the wounds. Now that she could really inspect them up close, they admittedly didn’t seem all that bad...maybe it was a hit to the head that left her unconcious? Did she fall from a tree? Adora didn’t think that was likely -Catra hardly ever lost her balance. But as Adora stared at her lying there, she saw it all play over again in her head- the lever, the portal, the line that was not just crossed, but destroyed. She turned the sword into rope and bound Catra’s hands to her bedpost.

But having Catra so near still made her anxious -not just in the funny way it always did -but now Adora couldn’t trust her. She would try to escape, try to do something horrible...wouldn’t she? Why was she so injured? Why was she here? What was she running from? By the time Adora finally fell asleep it was already starting to get light out. She awoke to Catra’s stirring. 

“Ad-ora….” her eyebrows were twitching, “Don’t...my fault….it’s my fault!” Her eyes snapped open and she tried to roll but the rope binding her to the bed kept her there, which only seemed to make her panic more -and wince. Is Catra having nightmares because she feels guilty? Good. But still there was a part of Adora that couldn’t help the urge to soothe her…..enemy. Yes, that’s still what they were. They had to be. 

Catra’s ears were pinned tight to her head, breathing ragged, looking around. When she saw Adora watching her, her eyes brimmed with tears and she pulled against the ropes to turn her body away. Adora started to reach for her, but stopped. She steeled her voice. 

“I found you in the Whispering Woods unconscious. The only reason you aren’t in a holding cell is because I don’t think fair justice would be served if Glimmer knew you were here. It’s too soon.”

Silence. 

“Why were you out there? What happened, Catra?” She seemed to hold her breath at the name. 

Adora sighed and went to get food. When she came back, Catra hadn’t moved. “Catra, I brought some breakfast. You should eat.” Her ears were at least a little higher. “At least drink some water?” Nothing. 

After some time, Adora’s suspicions melted away. She’d never seen Catra so unresponsive. She must really be hurt. Or concussed. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when Catra finally spoke, it was like opening a window in a stuffy room. “I can’t take it back. Any of it.” Her ears flattened to her head again, and she seemed to slump further. 

Adora fought with herself. Catra was the enemy, her prisoner, a murderer. Companion, best friend, so much more. She couldn’t help but remember some of the colder nights they’d spent together, using each other’s body heat to keep warm -the intimacy, the way they touched. But then Catra pulled the switch. 

“No.” Adora’s voice was cold for just a moment. “No, you can’t.” 

“I should have listened to you. I should have….” Catra’s rasp deepened with emotion. “I’m so….I’m sorry.” 

Adora melted. She crawled next to Catra, sat down, and pulled her into her lap. Adora lightly ran her fingers through Catra’s hair the way she used to, and stopped every once in a while just below the ears, which started to perk up with every touch. Adora let her hands brush down Catra’s arm, giving her goosebumps, until she reached her hand. She hesitated for a moment, looking for some sign of resistance from Catra, and then laced their fingers together. Catra stiffened only for a moment and Adora couldn’t read her facial expression, but then she relaxed again. Goddammit. This closeness still felt right; it was the only thing that ever ebbed the electricity between them. The two fell asleep in comfort. 

When Adora woke up again, she was surprisingly cold. Catra was always such a heater when she slept...she must have really not been feeling well. She didn’t stir when Adora got up again to go get something from the kitchen. On her way there, she bumped into Bow, who of course wanted to chat all afternoon. She gave him some excuses about needing to practice with Swiftwind and he seemed satisfied with that. 

She found Catra awake and solemnly fluffing a pillow when she returned with a little bottle. “If you won’t eat, at least drink this.” Catra seemed confused. Dummy. Adora was getting a bit worried. Catra really was acting strange. “It’s your favorite.” 

“You didn’t have to do that.” She said, flatly. It was odd; Catra always got excited about cream. 

Adora tossed the bottle up to her as she climbed up into the bed. Catra sort of fumbled it, which also wasn’t like her. She was just staring at it. “Catra?” 

She kept her eyes down. “Would you….would you feed it to me? The way you used to?” 

Adora blushed. It’d been a long time since she’d done that, and it was only because Catra was really sick and was too weak to move. “You really want me to?” Catra nodded, holding out the bottle without looking at Adora. 

She hesitated but took the bottle. She thought for a few more seconds. Adora knew she couldn’t hide Catra for forever. When she was better, she would let Catra go, but she couldn’t stay here. Not now. Glimmer needed time, but even then, Catra couldn’t just be forgiven for what she did. But here they were -safe, if even just for today…

she opened the bottle and put it to her lips. Catra looked even more confused as the distance between them closed. When their lips met, her eyes went wide. Some of the cool liquid spilled before Catra opened her mouth to drink. Did Catra forget how to do this?

Adora pulled away, blushing and looking down. “You’re supposed to drink it, not wear it.” Adora opened the bottle again. “I think you might have gotten concussed when you hit your head. You just seem….off. You’re going to need to take it easy.” She took another mouthful. This time Catra was ready -she did like the taste. They went back for a third and fourth, getting closer each time. After the last of it was gone and they pulled away, there were only a couple palpably charged inches between them. Catra very quickly closed the gap to lick a drop on Adora’s lower lip, bringing them even closer -barely not touching. 

Adora’s crystal blue eyes were glued to Catra’s mouth, still open. She moved so that they could lean their foreheads together. For what felt like an eternity, they sat there sharing the same breath. “Catra...I-” Just before Catra zeroed in once more, interrupting what might have been the start of a necessary conversation, her lips curled into that evil, sexy smirk. This time she dragged her tongue over Adora’s lip slower, softer. The moan she earned parted Adora’s lips for her to take, and she did. All at once, they were kissing and biting, tongues exploring. Catra was straining against her bindings to get closer, and Adora’s hands were roaming her back, the slim curve of her waist, until she found her tail. Catra’s tail was always sensitive. She wrapped her hand around it and stroked all the way to the end -Catra shuddered and bit her lower lip in response before sucking Adora’s tongue. 

“Adora,” Catra rasped, “take off your shirt.” Adora froze, they’d never done this stuff naked before. They were always interrupted. “Or...at least, untie me.” She pulled against the rope. “I’ll do it.” She looked insistent. “Adora, I want to do it.” 

Adora needed something. She didn’t know what it was, but she needed it, bad. All she knew was that when she and Catra were as close as possible, she felt right. Good. Nakedness made sense right? Her brain was foggy -too consumed by the red hot, coiled up tightness in her belly. Fuck it. 

She untied Catra and cast the sword aside. Catra immediately pounced, practically tearing Adora’s shirt to get it off. Adora’s nipples were already hard, but they responded again to the sudden cold air, and then threefold to Catra’s touch. She’d touched her breasts through clothes before, but never like this. Catra had one hand over her left, pinching and flicking her nipple. On the other side, she was using her mouth to suck and bit, swirling her tongue all around. Adora couldn’t hold back her cries, which seemed to fuel Catra’s efforts. 

“C-Catra...that feels good.” She breathed. 

Catra left her task to purr in Adora’s ear. “I’ve missed you so much, Adora. Have you missed me?” She pinched a nipple hard. Her voice was growing more and more mischievous -more confident. Had Catra done this before with somebody else? 

“Oh fuck…” Catra’s knee pushed up between Adora’s thighs. She couldn’t stop her body from moving against it. “Every day. I missed you every day.” 

Hands quickly proceeded to yank Adora’s pants down below her hips. She was too heated to be embarrassed as Catra ran her hand down over the front of her thigh, making Adora twitch. Her face turned a deep red. “Do you think about us touching this way? About me touching you like this?” Her fingers dipped between her legs and came back slick. Adora was too embarrassed to look. 

“Catra, please…” 

“Well, do you?” 

“Yes.” She grabbed Catra’s face and pulled her weight down again. Catra slipped her hand back down again and applied pressure. Adora moaned again. “I dream that I never left you in the Fright Zone. I dream that you -ah!” Catra found Adora’s clit and started circling. “You came with m-me. I think about being this kind of close with you for forever.” 

A finger slipped in and curled. Adora cried out and grabbed Catra tighter. A second finger. “More. I need you Catra. I…...I l-love you.” Her whole body was throbbing with need. But suddenly she was cold as Catra pulled away. Something wasn’t right. Catra started laughing uncontrollably. 

“Catra?” 

There was a wicked expression on her face. Looking down at Adora, she licked the fingers she’d just been using. “Mmmm, tastes like failure.” She stood up, face darkened by shadows. Adora felt like the world was crumbling out from under her -again. The tears had already started flowing before she even realized it. 

“W-wha-”

“I mean really, Adora. You are pathetic, you know that?” Every word, a dagger. Adora closed her legs and sat up. “When will you realize? I never really cared about you.” She limply covered her breasts with an arm, feeling hot tears fall on her now icy skin. 

“I don’t understand…..Y-your lying! Why? Why did you come here tonight?” She didn’t know how she could still speak. Her throat was so tight. She clutched at her chest where a deep pang practically had her doubled over. Her heart actually hurt. “What kind of sick game is this?” Only every other word was more than a whisper.

Catra scoffed, pretending to inspect her nails. “Obviously, I’m here to get intel on the Rebellion’s Ace. Turns out the almighty She-Ra does have a weakness…” She locked eyes with Adora. “It’s lost kittens.” Adora couldn’t hold back the sob that choked her. How could she do this? 

“Haven’t you heard that saying, ‘not all who wander are lost?’ When will you realize that not everyone needs to be saved?” Adora cried openly now. “So thanks, i guess. This was fun, but…” Catra lightly hopped down from the bed and sauntered towards the window. “....I don’t need you, Adora. I never did.”

And she was gone, leaving Adora in a puddle of her own shame, utterly broken. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

As Catra entered the woods, her body began to change back. Her soft skin and fur returning to green scales. It wasn’t exactly how the job was supposed to go, but it was done. When She-Ra was just wandering around like that, there was no way to pass up the opportunity. And to think it was even possible to have such a dramatic exit -genius! Who knew psychological warfare could be so….delicious?  
…………………………………………………………………….……………………………………

By the time the body cam footage from the mission had ended, Catra had long since stopped seeing any of it. Her eyes were open, but they were not seeing. Her claws had left scratches in the metal of the chair’s arms, and her breathing was ragged. When she was finally able to see the screen again, she wished she hadn’t. The image was of Adora, violated, knees together, slumped over, naked, clutching her chest, face twisted in anguish. Catra knew that betrayal. She wouldn’t have wished it on anybody -not really.

Double Trouble stood in the corner behind her. “Honestly, there were a few times I wasn’t so sure it was going to work. If I weren’t so equipt for improv, I would have totally blew it. Although I must say, that bit in your diary helped a lot.” 

Now Catra knew a hate unlike anything she’d ever felt before. “You...read….my diary.” Then again, maybe she wasn’t feeling anything -she was sort of numb. 

“Honey, everyone knew you guys had, like, a thing, but I didn’t realize it was like that. You so had her wrapped around your little finger!” Had. Catra sat still, not really all there. Had. “But she didn’t even realize I snagged this along the way.” They held up the magic sword. “No need to worry about the great She-Ra anymore.” Adora... 

Every day. I missed you every day.

I dream that I never left you in the Fright Zone. I dream that you came with me. I think about being this close with you for forever 

I need you Catra. I love you.


	2. Truth Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer takes Catra back to Bright Moon for questioning.

Catra’s body moved of its own accord -she had no control over anything. Not her hands, not her mind -Adora’s name echoed endlessly, the constant ring of a tuning fork that became a high-pitched ringing. The final image of her burned into Catra’s memory -something she would never escape. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me. The phrase was different levels of appalling. It enraged her because other people thought she did it; it enraged her because Adora thought she did it; it enraged her because she didn’t fucking do it; it enraged her because somebody else did. Somebody else touched Adora that way. Somebody toyed with Adora -hurt her. It enraged her because no matter how you spun it, it really was her fault, even if she wasn’t the one to do it. The ringing drove her wild. She needed it to stop. It had slowly begun to turn into shrieking, and as her claws sank into something soft, she felt some of the numbness ebb away, but only just a little -just enough that she could feel more fury. 

There was no going back, not ever. Adora would hate her. Adora should hate her. Catra picked up the sword and stared at it blankly -for how long, she didn’t know. Time might as well not have existed for all she cared. She was just ...there. If it hadn’t been for this sword, none of this ever would have happened. It was the beginning, it could be the end. Still scarcely unfeeling, she took the blade and turned its point to her stomach. Such a strange sensation, knowing a person could just not exist anymore. Just a little pressure, that’s all it would take, and -poof. No more. 

The door opened and soldiers came in. She didn’t notice. She didn’t care -about anything. She didn’t fight when they cuffed her, dragged her to a holding cell and threw her in. She didn’t know how long she’d been locked away. A couple hours? A day? When Catra kind of came back into her body. She was noticing how dark her hands were, and a strange metallic taste in her mouth. Her eyes came into focus. It was blood. She was covered in someone else's blood. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Adora hadn’t spoken to Glimmer and Bow hardly at all since the incident -whatever the incident was. All they knew was that Catra was somehow behind it. Adora wasn’t herself. All her pep was gone; she was depressed. There weren’t words to describe what Glimmer was going to do to Catra when she got the chance. She, Bow, Mermista, Frosta, and Perfuma were all going to retrieve the sword and Catra to bring back to Bright Moon. They didn’t know exactly what Hordak was up to, but they knew that the sword was the key, and now they had it. This would be their most important mission yet. 

The only thing they really had going for them was that the Horde didn’t know they were coming. So they struck hard and fast. It kind of worked. They snuck through the outside defenses okay, but then once they were inside, the real fight began. Hordak really had been preparing for something bit; there weren’t this many soldiers the last time they’d come to the fright zone. Bow and the rest of the princesses looked for the sword, and Glimmer went to find Catra. Corridor after corridor, she found nothing. She walked into a room with a bunch of destroyed televisions and was mortified to find dark, rust-colored stains which had obviously been pools of somebody’s blood on the floor -scratch marks all over the wall. Catra. 

She continued through the wing until she came to a fork, and turned left. Up ahead she could see an opening to a larger room with green doors. This was it. As she neared, Glimmer’s stomach churned. There she was. Catra was slumped over in a corner of her cell, looking off into the distance, her hands and clothes covered in blood. She’d...killed somebody else, bare-handed. Catra paid no mind to her. Glimmer teleported into the cage. “I don’t know what you did to piss them off, but you’re MY prisoner, not theirs. Get up.” 

Catra didn’t move. “I said, get up!” Nothing. Glimmer had been working on something for a while now, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to successfully do it. Another alarm system went off nearby. She had to try. She cast a spell that would make Catra obedient to her. Glimmer knew it was a difficult spell and she knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but she just had to get Catra to come with her. Catra stood, now looking dismayed. “Follow me.” Her expression changed as her body began to do as it was told.

Catra’s eyes went huge. “No. I-can’t, can’t go with you.” But as she said it, her feet moved. She took a couple more steps forward, shaking now. Her voice faded in and out. “Please! Don’t make me -don’t make me -I can’t face her!” Glimmer had a hunch as to who ‘her’ was. She teleported them out of the wing to the designated meeting place. She started to draw the magic circle and crest on the ground. 

“You’re going to answer for your Crimes Catra.” But as she said it, she took note of how genuinely frightened Catra seemed to be. Or maybe it wasn’t fear? Something else... She didn’t seem herself either. No smug comments. No quips. No insults. She looked terrible -like she hadn’t slept in days. What happened between them? 

There was an explosion behind them and the rest of the gang came sprinting out, followed by the biggest bot Glimmer had ever seen. “GLIMMER!” Bow screamed, voice cracking. She hurried and finished the magic insignia. 

“HOLD HANDS!” She yelled, holding out her arm and grabbing Catra very tightly by the wrist so she couldn’t get away even if she tried. They all teleported back to bright moon. “Guards! Clean the prisoner up outside and take this prisoner to the holding room.” 

She watched as three guards took Catra away, dragging her. She was crying silently but still looked so far away. For only a moment, Glimmer felt something akin to pity -she did look miserable. Bow was panting from his sprint. “We..couldn’t get...the sword…” 

“What?!” 

“Hordak has it inside...one of the bots -that big one! It acts as some kind of battery for a weapon thing.” 

Uh oh. That was NOT good. “What kind of weapon?” 

“Don’t know, but whatever it is, if it’s got She-Ra’s sword, I’m sure it’s powerful. We need to know how to stop it.” 

Maybe Shadow Weaver would know. Glimmer found her in the garden, tending to her goddamn daisies. 

“It’s good to see you again so soon. Did you try that little spell I showed you?” 

“I’m not here to chat, Shadow Weaver. We’ve got a problem.” 

“I’m afraid I cannot be of assistance this time. I have no knowledge of what Hordak is up to, but you do have somebody in your possession who does.” Catra. 

“We have no guarantee she’ll tell us the truth.” 

“Don’t you? Your father’s truth spell is particularly powerful.” 

Now that she had all the power of the moon stone, she could surely perform it correctly. Yes, she would interrogate Catra in the throne room so she could see the empty throne -she would know what she’d done. She had the guards retrieve Catra and bring her there in magical restraints. Once they let her go, she dropped to the ground on her knees, still looking just as defeated as she had before -maybe worse now.

Bow was fidgeting with his hands, “Are you sure you want to-”

“I’m going to ask you some questions, Catra, and you WILL tell me what I want to know.” Glimmer briefly looked up from her spell expecting to see Catra shrug or do something else to otherwise seem nonchalant, but she could tell immediately that wasn’t the case. She cast the spell and watched Catra’s seemingly lifeless body absorb the magic. 

“What is Hordak planning to do with She-Ra’s sword?” 

There was a tense moment of silence before she spoke. “He’s found a way to combine it with the first one’s tech inside a bot to create a laser beam.” Her mouth hung open in shock at her own words. Glimmer crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. 

“How do you like my truth spell?” 

Catra shook her head vigorously. “I hate it. I don’t want you to use it anymore. I don’t want to answer any more questions!” She was very obviously alarmed. 

“That’s too bad.” Although Glimmer did feel a twinge of guilt watching Catra unravel like this. She seemed to be shaking again. “What is his plan for this laser beam?” 

Catra was struggling with herself, trying to fight it, but to no avail. “He's ...coming to Bright Moon -any day now- to destroy the moon stone, to wipe out the rebellion once and for all.” The realization that she couldn’t fight it horrified her. Glimmer could see the internal panic. 

“How much time do we have?”

“I don’t know.” 

“How can we stop it, the bot?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Dammit. “Do you have any idea how to stop it?”” 

“Maybe separate the first one’s tech from She-Ra’s sword.” 

“That’s all you’ve got?” 

“Yes.” 

Shit. So they had who knows how long to keep back an invasion with a super powerful weapon, and without She-Ra. Maybe even without Adora if they couldn’t get her to snap out of it. Adora…

“What happened between you and Adora?” 

Catra froze, eyes wide. She bit her tongue hard and tried to fight it. “What happened between you and Adora, Catra? Why do you always target her?” 

“She left me in the Horde!” What? 

She lowered her voice. “No, I mean recently. What did you do in Brightmoon a couple days ago? What did you do to Adora?” 

“Ghhhhh…” She was clenching her jaw shut. “...nnn-nothing!” Catra’s eyes were shut tight now and she had her head thrown back in desperation, trying to hold words back. “I did nothing!” The words burst out anyways. 

How could she still lie? The truth spell was perfect. Glimmer checked it twice before casting it. This didn’t make any sense. “What do you mean, you ‘did nothing’? Adora’s been a mess for the last several days. We found her in her room after YOU attacked her and STOLE her sword. How else would you explain that?” 

Catra doubled over and grabbed her head with her shackled hands, as if squeezing it would stop her voice from coming out. “It wasn’t me.” She squeaked. Glimmer could see a bit of blood in the corner of Catra’s mouth -she must have been biting herself to keep something back. Talk, goddamn you. 

“Explain.” 

“Ghhhn…” TALK. 

“What do you mean it wasn’t you. Adora told us-” 

“It wasn’t me! One of my soldiers - a shapeshifter -was sent on a reconnaissance mission. They were supposed to get intel about the rebellion’s plans for the next few days so we would know when to strike.” The room was silent except for Catra’s now heaving breaths. “It was a reconnaissance mission -no contact. They betrayed me.” Glimmer could see tears of desperation falling onto the floor in front of her knees. “No contact…” she sobbed. 

“Catra, what happened?” Glimmer’s voice softened unintentionally.

“They betrayed me! I watched the body cam footage. I saw it -I saw it all.” She cried openly into the cold marble floor. “They took her from me and I watched it.” Betrayed her? Took who from her? Adora? This still didn’t make much sense, but the mental image of Catra covered in blood returned to Glimmer. The way the room looked, red everywhere, broken glass and papers scattered, the scratches. 

“So that’s who you killed…” It wasn’t a question. The lack of response from Catra was evidence of the statement’s truthfulness. “You killed them because they attacked Adora?” The whole room inhaled. 

Catra let out a pained wail through clenched teeth again, eyes bleary with tears, nails dragging across the tiled floor -almost as if hearing the words ignited what must have been her initial fury. But this was a pitiful kind of fury, laced with some indescribable mournfulness that anyone listening could practically feel. “Yes.” Hardly more than a whisper came out. 

The room stayed quiet for a few moments. Catra seemed to be spiralling deeper and deeper into some dark place on the floor and Glimmer fought with herself as to whether or not she should ask her next question -what exactly happened to Adora? But she needed to know. As she opened her mouth, a small voice from the other side of the room stopped her. “It really wasn’t you…” Adora stepped out from behind a pillar.


	3. Looks Have Been Deceiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora's POV, and a hint into the next chapter.
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B_vssHhApV_/ 
> 
> I drew this for Season 5, but it works here too I think.

Adora had sat in the shower that night for almost two hours, trying to get clean, trying to shake the cold feeling that was wrapped around her heart. Maybe she’d stopped crying by then, maybe not -she couldn’t tell. She should have known better. She shouldn’t have trusted Catra -she’d shown her true colors when she pulled the lever. She was beyond reaching. Adora felt stupid for believing she still had good in her. She was ashamed that she fell into Catra’s trap so easily. No, how EAGER she was to do so. After everything that happened, everything Catra did, she still had feelings for her. Still loved her. Catra was right. I really am pathetic. 

It made her feel sick. Worse yet, she would have to tell Glimmer that she’d had Catra here, in the caste, and let her get away -with the sword, no less. The thought was enough to make her actually contemplate running away. But what would be the point? She had nowhere to go, nothing to do. This was where she belonged, or at least, that’s what she thought. Being She-Ra gave her the ability to actually make a difference, to help people, to make things right. She couldn’t even keep her sword away from one single enemy -a single, soul-crushing enemy. The thought that brought her even lower still, somehow, was that Catra didn’t reciprocate. If only she’d have done what Light Hope told her and let go…

When she brought herself to tell Glimmer the next morning, the words fell out aimlessly, mimicking the directionlessness Adora felt. “I lost the sword last night.” 

Glimmer’s initial response was not anger or even monarchical disdain -as Adora desperately wished it was. No, it was concern, which somehow made Adora feel worse. “What? What happened?” 

“Catra. She broke in last night and she…” it was like she felt it all over again in an instant. “...she attacked me. We struggled, but…” I never did. She heard the last callous words and felt the ice pump through her veins again with a shiver. “I let her get away. She took She-Ra’s sword.” 

Glimmer’s eyebrows knit together and she put a hand on Adora’s arm. Even though it was gentle, Adora’s initial response was still to pull away slightly before relaxing again. “Adora, are you okay?” She spoke as if Adora was something delicate. You’re worried about ME? “You don’t seem like yourself. Are you hurt?”

Adora knew what it meant that the Horde had her weapon -something really bad. It meant people were in danger; it meant she really, really fucked up. Why wasn’t Glimmer going to punish her for it? Instead, she went on trying to ensure that Adora was okay. Her and Bow tried to dote on her for every little thing, as if she wasn’t already feeling useless enough, now she was a burden taking up their time when they had much more important things to worry about. The feelings of guilt, failure, shame, rejection, and uselessness seemed to be quite filling. She could hardly bring herself to eat for the next two days, for the nausea would immediately set in. 

They insisted she remain in Brightmoon for the retrieval mission, which only seemed to deepen her self-loathing. But from that came a kind of anger -anger she could use as motivation. Maybe she couldn’t protect Brightmoon, or her friends, or even herself. But, Goddammit, she was at least not going to be a waste of space in this world; she could still do SOMETHING, anything. She could still try. Evil did NOT get a free pass to win this war. 

She trained the whole time the Princesses were on their mission to retrieve the sword. When they all returned, she heard whispers of a prisoner. It wasn’t until she overheard the guards dare to say a name that she learned who it was. She felt cold all over again. Catra was going to be interrogated in the throne room. Her mind raced with thoughts, questions about what she should do with that information. By the time she thought she had an answer for herself, Adora was sneaking into the throne room behind a lagging guard. She hid herself behind one of the large pillars to the back.

Was it just her? Or was the air in here really that tense? She heard Glimmer’s voice. “How do you like my truth spell?” 

“I hate it. I don’t want you to use it anymore. I don’t want to answer any more questions!” Catra. She didn’t sound like her usual self. Maybe she was finally afraid to atone for her crimes... 

“That’s too bad. What is Hordak’s plan for this laser beam?” 

There were some strange sounds, like a gargly-growl, then Catra’s shaky voice. “He's ...coming to Brightmoon -any day now-” She must be trying to fight the truth spell…”-to destroy the moon stone, to wipe out the rebellion once and for all.” It wasn’t the voice cracks that made Catra sound so desperate -there was some other harrowing quality to it that Adora had never heard before. Catra was panicking. 

“How much time do we have?”

“I don’t know.” 

“How can we stop it, the bot?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Dammit. “Do you have any idea how to stop it?”” 

“Maybe separate the first one’s tech from She-Ra’s sword.” 

“That’s all you’ve got?” 

“Yes.” 

Adora’s heart sank and she let herself go limp on the pillar for a moment. Hordak’s army was coming and it was all her fault. She had to come up with something -some way they could defeat them. But how...

“What happened between you and Adora?” 

Adora felt her pulse jump start in her chest. What? Where did that come from? She held her breath. The response was more gurgled, effort-induced sounds from Catra. Adora could hear her labored breathing. She’s really fighting it…

Glimmer repeated herself, more demanding. “What happened between you and Adora, Catra? Why do you always target her?” 

“She left me in the Horde!” Some fucking nerve, to hold a grudge like that... 

“No, I mean recently. What did you do in Brightmoon a couple days ago? What did you do to Adora?” 

“Ghhhhh...nnn-nothing!” Adora didn’t have to look at Catra to know she was becoming more and more desperate. It was a pained relinquishing of words. Somehow even Adora felt the pain in her voice. “I did nothing!” Or perhaps it was the feeling of betrayal she felt. Nothing? How could she say that? How could she say she did nothing? How could she still lie through this truth spell. 

Glimmer sounded impatient. “What do you mean, you ‘did nothing’? Adora’s been a mess for the last several days.” Adora winced, redoubling her vow to no longer be a burden. “We found her in her room after YOU attacked her and STOLE her sword. How else would you explain that?” Adora remembered how they found her -as cleaned up as she could manage after that long and useless shower. 

There were more wild noises and Adora could hear Catra physically struggling on the floor. Something wasn’t right. Adora wanted to look but she knew if she did, she would still feel bad for her....still.

“It wasn’t me.” Catra sounded so small. Sort of like when they were kids after Shadow Weaver got ahold of her. Only there was something else there -something darker in her voice that was harder to listen to now. But Adora did -very intently. This didn’t make sense. It most definitely WAS her. It was her voice, her hands, her lips, her smell...

“Explain.” It was a command. 

“Ghhhn…” Adora held her breath again. 

“What do you mean it wasn’t you. Adora told us-” 

“It wasn’t me!” The sentence burst forth like an explosion. “One of my soldiers - a shapeshifter -was sent on a reconnaissance mission. They were supposed to get intel about the rebellion’s plans for the next few days so we would know when to strike.” The room was silent except for Catra’s now heaving breaths. “It was a reconnaissance mission -no contact. They betrayed me.” Her voice cut in and out so much, Adora almost didn’t hear all the words. “No contact…” Catra sounded broken. 

Her cries seemed to hang in the air for eternity as the meaning of her broken speech settled in Adora’s brain. A shapeshifter? Was that possible? Yes. Adora knew from her incoherent sobs that she wasn’t lying. A horde shapeshifter in Catra’s form. Her memory flashed back through the whole ordeal. Catra was conveniently alone in the woods. Catra had been unusually uncoordinated. Her body was uncharacteristically cold. She didn’t recognize her favorite food. She seemed surprised by the favor SHE asked for. Catra hadn’t been herself that day...because it... wasn’t Catra. Adora couldn’t even begin to feel disgusted by the prospect that it was somebody else who violated her; she was too overcome with relief that it wasn’t Catra.

“Catra, what happened?” Glimmer’s voice was much less demanding now.

Adora steeled herself for whatever was about to come next. 

“They betrayed me! I watched the body cam footage. I saw it -I saw it all.” Catra’s voice wavered in and out, her agony filling the entire throne room. “They took her from me and I watched it.” 

Adora’s hand flew to her mouth to cover a gasp. She hadn’t been prepared for that. New emotions washed over her in an instant, yet somehow the realizations took a lifetime. First, extreme embarrassment. Catra heard her confessions, SAW her confessions -saw everything! Then another restorative wave of relief as she heard Catra’s words again: ‘they betrayed me...they took her from me and I watched it’. Took her from me. Catra still cared -Catra reciprocated those same kind of feelings. Oh Gods. Finally, Adora was overcome with a kind of horror she couldn’t explain. Catra still cared, and she watched somebody else violate her. Suddenly, Adora sympathized with Catra’s agony. If the tables were turned, if Adora had to watch somebody...

“So that’s who you killed…” Glimmer’s voice was soft, but the words still sounded crisp -like they were the only sound in the room. Killed. Killed? KILLED?! Catra didn’t respond. Why didn’t she respond? Did she actually murder somebody? “You killed them because they attacked Adora?” The whole room inhaled. 

Catra let out a sound that could only be described as a wail, and Adora winced, feeling her pain. “Yes.” 

The only sound now was Catra’s wild, broken breathing. Adora had moved in front of the pillar before she gave any thought to it. When she looked at Catra there, trembling on her knees, she knew it was all true. Her face was scrunched in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks into the small puddle on the floor, claws carving up the tile, looking lower than Adora had ever seen her before. “It really wasn’t you…” 

Catra seemed to cower at the sound of her voice, recoiling as if she’d been struck, and now she shook harder. There were gasps all around the room. Glimmer took a step forward. “Adora! How long have you been listening? You weren’t supposed to be here.” 

“Well, I am.” 

Glimmer opened her mouth, but was cut off by the sound of fast approaching footsteps and two guards clanging through the door. “We’re under attack!” He wheezed. 

The other screamed in his place. “Hoard vehicles are nearly through the Whispering woods! T-there’s some kind of explosive, the woods are on fire!” 

They all exchanged a silent glance, and then ran to the windows on the far side of the room. All they could see was an ominous black smoke steadily billowing from the wood.


	4. Too Little Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle for Bright Moon

Even without her sword, Adora was a good fighter -a confident fighter -and she knew that. One of the guards took a hit from a Horde soldier’s stun gun. Adora picked up his staff to beat back the soldiers as they came rushing through the woods. The rest of the princesses were rounding up bots, trying to corral them and take them out more than one at a time. Between the princess magic, stun gun volts, laser blasts, and explosions of fire, there were flashes of brightly colored light everywhere -nearly blinding sometimes. Booms, screams, war cries, whizzes, and clashes of metal were a symphony of chaos all around. Adora’s body was fatigued. Maybe it was the smoke and dirt in the air making everything hazy; maybe it was that she hadn’t eaten, drank, or slept much in the last few days. Or maybe it was because she didn’t have She-Ra’s powers. She felt much weaker and slower in comparison. But she could still fight. She had to fight. 

There was the horrible sound of splitting of trees as the woods seemed to just open for the biggest bot Adora had ever seen. It burned its way through with ease. No, not burned -incinerated. Wherever its beam struck, a trough of earth was carved out with fire, instantly disintegrating all life. Oh Gods. If that thing really tried to take down the moon stone… They had to stop it. Adora dodged a blast just in time. The heat she felt was immense, even being missed from a few feet away. She watched as the bot seemed to take in its surroundings before setting its sights on the moon stone. 

“We’ve got to take this thing down! Hurry!” Is that really my voice? She sounded scared. She was scared. This had all happened so quickly. Nothing was working. All of their attacks, magic or otherwise, simply ricocheted off some kind of protective shield that stretched all the way around the bot. 

“It’s not working!” 

“Well keep trying! We can’t let it get to the moonstone! Keep hitting it.” 

Everyone shared a panic-stricken look. At best they were able to slow it -kind of. It just brushed past everything and everyone as if there wasn’t a giant battle going on. It nearly stepped on one of its own men. Adora kept up alongside. With attacks coming from all over, she could clearly see the protective sphere all the way around. Yet it was able to shoot lasers out -it didn’t make sense! Unless…

“Everyone attack from the left -try to knock it sideways. I need to get in front of it!” 

Bam. Clink. Whizz. Poof. Ka-BOOM. It’s lurch to the side was only slight, but it gave Adora enough time to get just in front of it before the next step. She hurled her staff like a javelin right at the laser’s barrel, which snapped shut right before the staff connected with a clank and bounced off the now-closed metal hatch. But it connected. There was no shield covering the opening for the beam! The sigh of relief Adora was about to let out got caught in her throat as the bot rotated and fixed its vision on her. Oh shit. 

“Guys!” She hurled herself away from the blast that came, and rolled two more times as it followed her. Great, she pissed it off...

“Adora!” 

The beams seemed to have a time limit. That’s at least something. But she didn’t have a lot of time before it reloaded. “Attack where the beam comes out!” She ran under the bot’s legs as she heard the mechanical whining before another blast would be ready. 

“Adora get out of there!” 

Left. Right. Back. Right. She dodged the legs as they tried to step on her. What the hell! Could this thing see out of it’s underside too? As she tried to take another step back, her foot hit a rock, sending her toppling over. Now she was rolling to avoid the legs -she had to get out. She kicked the ground underneath her, rolling into a backwards somersault. The bot had its laser cannon rotated. She rolled right into the line of fire. Move. 

“ADORA!” 

Another push off the ground got her on all fours, ready to leap again when the small shock wave from the laser blast knocked her back down a few feet away -it barely missed her by a foot. In front of her was a huge boulder. She could only go left or right. Adora’s heart was pounding in her ears -she felt it in her fingertips. Every nerve ending in her body was screaming at her. Get up. Faster. Move. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….............................................................

“Yes.” The word left her lips without her consent as every other before it in this interrogation, but somehow hurt more. She felt it in her bones. She did it for Adora -all of it -for Adora. The same person who suffered at what might as well have been her hands, all technicalities aside. The realization had been settled since the Horde locked her away, covered in blood, yet it still made her shake, made her grip the cold floor beneath her so at least she could feel SOMETHING. It wasn’t fair, but there was nothing she could do to change it now. Nothing. She would never be able to face Adora again, knowing what Adora must think she is. What was the point anymore? 

“It really wasn’t you…” 

Time stopped, freezing Catra’s body with it. All the little hairs stood on end, goosebumps rising all over her skin. Why. Why was she here? Why? In spite of everything, after everything that happened. How could her voice still sound like that? Still be gentle. 

“Adora! How long have you been listening? You weren’t supposed to be here.” 

“Well, I am.” How long was she there? How much did she hear? Why does she believe me? After everything I did...

Catra stared at the ground intently, hoping and praying even, that somehow Adora couldn’t see her. In the silent room she heard desperate footsteps coming down the hall. Something was wrong. Two guards burst through the door, out of breath. “We’re under attack!”

“Horde vehicles are nearly through the Whispering woods! T-there’s some kind of explosive, the woods are on fire!” Fuck. They don’t stand a chance. 

Everyone ran to the windows on the far side of the room. Catra dared not look up from the tile in front of her for fear that she might lock eyes with Adora. She felt shame wash over her as she noted the teardrops on the floor from her blubbering. How fucking embarassing can you be? 

“Call all reserves to defend the Castle. If what Catra said was true, they’re after the moon stone. All other arms, seal off the perimeter meeting the woods. We’ll funnel them in.” Glimmer gave her orders. It’s no use. Catra wanted to say it but she knew she wouldn’t be heard.

There was running and yelling and the smell of fear in the air. As the Queen was about to teleport out, she called to a nearby guard. “You! Don’t let this Horde soldier out of your sight.” Poof. She was gone. Catra stayed frozen in place until she was the only person left in the room -almost. The person guarding her reminded her of Kyle. He was visibly quaking and looked like he was fresh meat. He spooked as she stood slowly. 

“Ss-stay right there!” Catra met his frightened gaze and knew he wouldn’t do anything. “I- I mean it! Don’t move!” 

She walked over to the window just in time to see Etherian and Horde soldiers clashing right before the castle. Already, the Queen’s plan to “seal the perimeter” was doomed to fail. Bots came popping out of the woods left and right, with soldiers flooding in between. But Catra knew that wasn’t what they had to worry about. They had to worry about the newest addition to Hordak’s toy collection -the bot with She-Ra’s sword. It had nearly 360-degree, spherical magnetic forcefield defense. The only way to damage the bot was when the beam was ready to fire and the protective hatch was open, exposing just the tip of the sword. The princesses didn’t stand a chance…

They were corralling bots inward and cultivating group attacks. And there was Adora, using only a staff, with no real backup to speak of. Not She-Ra, but Adora -just like she always used to be. Always the hero. Catra felt a pang in her chest and her breath hitched. She had to get Adora away from here -anywhere. Adora would never listen...but she had to try something. 

She whipped around to the guard, who was also watching the battle scene unfold before them. “Get me out of these handcuffs.”

“Whah? No, I-”

“GET ME. OUT OF THESE HANDCUFFS.” She felt some part of herself awaken again. Not confidence, no -the will to fight to survive. The guard looked like he was ready to crack. 

“If I don’t go out there to stop that thing, they’re all going to die. Do you want them to die?” 

He shook his head and looked back and forth several times between Catra and the window behind her before slowly reaching into his uniform to pull out a key with a shaky hand. “Hurry.” BOOM. They both turned around to see a huge bot emerging from the woods, the ground in front of it now carved up by its laser blast. “Goddammit, unlock me!” 

Before the cuffs were even unlocked she’d started running, leaving the guard to cower if that was his choice. She wasn’t just going to roll over -not while she still had something to fight for -not while she still had someone to fight for. Down the long hallway, to the right, down another, to a window. She jumped into the tree and scurried down it, dropping the last twelve feet from the lowest branch. It sounded like war. It smelt like war. Between the explosions and screaming, you could barely hear yourself think, and the smoke made vision hazy after about a hundred feet. But Catra could spot her anywhere. 

Adora hurdled her staff right at the opening. Did she figure it out? She always was quick on the battlefield. Too bad she was oblivious in every other aspect. Now the bot saw her as a threat. Catra pleaded with her feet to move faster. Adora dodged a blast -barely. “Attack where the beam comes out!” Adora sprinted underneath the bot. What the fuck are you doing?!

“Adora, get out of there!” Bow called to her. At least somebody had the sense to yell at her. Idiot.

She was moving back and forth, dodging its legs. Then she fell backwards. Fuck. Now she was on the ground. Get up, Adora. Get up. Catra tried to think of a way to fix this. She needed an answer, now. There was no time. The bot’s beam was recharged and ready to fire -it was just waiting for its target. There was nothing nearby she could grab as a weapon -nothing she could do. Adora somersaulted out from under it, right into view. “Adora!” Catra whimpered to herself as she rushed forward, her legs moving on their own.

“ADORA!” 

The power from the blast knocked Adora back down a few feet away -it barely missed. Move. Faster. Adora’s name echoed in her brain like a prayer. Catra’s body flung itself up the backside of the boulder. She knew Adora was trapped on the other side, the laser ready to fire again. Move. She knew she only had one shot. Please. Please. 

It was all in slow motion. There was no more screaming -no sounds at all. There was only the steady thumping of her heart beat. Her feet lost contact with the rock underneath her as she hurdled forward, towards the monster that was about to end the world -about the take everything from her. This was her one chance. Please. The hatch was open, a deep red glow getting hotter inside the barrel, ready to destroy. By the time its camera registered Catra’s movement and shifted its barrel, her claws were already set to shred the metal hatch if it tried to close. Nails grated only for a moment against the metal inside the barrel as her hand wrapped around the white-hot sword, pulling with everything her body and spirit would allow as the blast fired.


	5. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End (Bah bah bahhhhh)

When her body hit the ground, she didn’t feel it. She couldn’t really feel anything. Maybe she was dead? No, she was still seeing things...kind of. The edges of her bleary vision were a sort of faded grey, spattered with twinkling spots. There were a few seconds where she might not have been conscious, she didn’t know. She couldn’t tell if the ringing in her ears was somebody screaming again or if her ears were actually broken. Everything was muffled, like being in a dream. 

Catra felt...like she was leaking? Did that even make sense? She tried to lift her head, only to have it fall back on the ground -her muscles didn’t want to listen to her. They’d done their share of work for a lifetime. Then the light was blocked out. Somebody was standing over her, trying to talk to her. The figured wavered. “Catra!” It was Adora. Catra let her eyes close as she was lifted off the ground into Adora’s arms. The bot didn’t kill her. She saved Adora. That’s all that mattered. “Catra, stay with me.” She was crying. The last thing Catra sensed was a bright light -bright enough to see through her eyelids -and the feeling of warmth.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

She wasn’t going to make it. She knew she wouldn’t be able to jump far enough out of the way to avoid the laser beam. But she had to try. All at once, as her legs prepared to give the performance of a lifetime, she said a prayer to the gods to let her fly. When she pushed off the ground with everything she had, she anticipated the whirring of metal and a bone-melting heat to strike her body down. Instead what came was a cacophony of strange sounds as a shadow from someone up above flew over her. She heard the grating of something on metal, a wrenching sound and electrical short-circuiting. She hit the ground and tried to roll off to the side. As she rolled, she could see Catra’s body falling to the ground on the other side of the boulder, dripping blood, She-Ra’s sword clattering to the ground after her. 

Adora’s body moved to take her there before she could register anything else. “Catra!” Her right arm must have taken at least a partial blast from the ready beam -her skin was charred halfway up her neck, over her shoulder and down the entirety of the arm. Her eyes fluttered as Catra tried to lift her head up. Adora pulled her body closer. “Catra, stay with me!” Please. There was a terrible gash in her hand that wasn’t bleeding nearly as much as it looked like it should be. She must have grabbed the sword and pulled it out from the blade. 

“Adora! The sword!” Glimmer’s voice brought her back to the battlefield. She looked up to see her friends still attacking the bot. Only now, each attack was followed by a clank or a bang against metal. The shield was down. They could kill it. She gazed down at Catra again, now unconscious in her arms. They could win now because of her. Adora wouldn’t lose her -not now.

Her hand reached for the sword laying next to them, steaming against the ground. It must have hurt for Catra to grab it...“For the Honor of Grayskull!” She felt power course through her veins and will it to move fluidly from her body to Catra’s. Heal her. She could hear the Princesses growing more confident, pressing back the soldiers. Catra remained unmoving. She didn’t open her eyes, didn’t twitch a finger. Heal her goddammit, please! She tried to focus harder. Only a few soldiers left to retreat -all bots had been destroyed. She felt herself growing desperate. Please. 

The gash on Catra’s hand was bleeding less, but it didn’t look like anything else had changed. It wasn’t working. Panic gripped her chest and tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. It had to work. Their childhood together flashed before her eyes. The laughter, the tears, the adventures -they shared it all, good and bad alike. Even when they were at each other’s throats on the battlefield, Adora never once imagined a future without her. She never knew how it would work out, but there was some part of her that believed they could be together again. Now, even as her friends gathered around, watching her clutching onto Catra’s limp body like it was the most precious thing in the world -and it certainly was -Adora knew she was doomed to live a lonely future. 

Please. I can’t do this without her. The pit of despair in her stomach bloomed further with every second she poured energy into Catra with no result. Please. As the edges of her vision started to darken, she knew she didn’t have much left to give. Adora shut her eyes tightly to keep her concentration. She felt weak. Not yet. I can fix this. I have to fix this. Before her body gave in to complete exhaustion, she realized the faint sound in the background was her own yell -grief stricken but determined not to let go. But then she did. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

When she opened her eyes, she recognized the room she was in. In all its shining, shimmering glory, she was back in the castle of bright moon. It was still standing -they’d won. At the very least, they couldn’t have lost too bad. Her body felt heavy -really heavy. Not exactly surprising after the effort she exerted. Her mouth felt like a desert and her head was throbbing. How long had she been unconscious? She wished she were unconscious again if it meant her head would stop hurting. The room was so fucking bright. 

Catra looked down at her legs and realized why she felt so heavy. Adora was asleep over her legs. Stupid, heroic, lovable, beautiful Adora. She looked unharmed except for a couple of scratches. Catra tried to wiggle her fingers. Left was good; right was...less good. She could see the bandages covering her nearly all the way from hand to neck -she remembered the laser firing. She still had an arm though… 

Adora shifted at her feet with a groan. Green and yellow eyes met blue and the two shared a breathless pause. Adora flung herself on Catra, who winced -more from surprise than pain. “I thought you were gone.” Catra could tell by her voice that Adora was crying. “I thought I was going to lose you forever.”

Catra was going to say something nice for once instead of making some little quip -something to do with 9 lives would have been good -but Adora cut her off as she pulled away. “How could you be so reckless?!” Catra blinked at her in surprise. Adora, tears rolling down her cheeks, was genuinely angry. 

Reckless? Reckless?! Now Catra was angry too. “Listen, Princess! I’m not the one who tried to take on a super weapon all by myself! If YOU hadn't been so reckless, I wouldn’t have had to save your ass!” 

Adora blinked back at her, looking a bit guilty. Catra geared up to say more, but Adora cut in again. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.” 

Catra rolled her eyes since she couldn’t cross her arms. “Oh, don’t get all self-righteous on me. It’s not all about you. I couldn’t…” bear the thought of living without you. But as she said the words, she knew it really WAS all about Adora. Catra needed her. 

“Couldn’t?” 

For the first time in a long time, Catra tried honesty. “I couldn’t watch you die. I couldn't.” 

Adora looked down at the bed for a moment. “Well, I couldn't watch you die either.” 

Catra smirked. “Well, I’m not dead yet.” 

Adora reached a hand to Catra’s bandaged one. “Does it hurt? Can you feel this?” 

Catra tried to concentrate for a moment. It didn’t hurt, but she couldn’t feel it. She shook her head. Adora moved her hand further up Catra’s arm. Again she shook her head. Again. Again. Until she was at Catra’s shoulder. Catra winced. “I can feel that. It doesn’t feel great.” 

Adora shifted closer, kneeling over Catra’s legs. She moved her hand across Catra’s bandages to the center of her chest. Catra nodded. Adora’s hand moved up just above her collar bone. It was happening again -the same tension that has always lurked between them started to build When had they moved so close together? Catra swallowed a bit too hard and made a sound. Her mouth still felt dry. “I can feel you.” 

You? It. I can feel it. She corrected herself mentally, but the words never came out. Adora looked down at her as if she interpreted the look on her face. Her hand slid up to Catra’s cheek. She could tell by the look in Adora’s eyes what was coming -what had been coming for a long time -what should have come much sooner. She had to be the one to say it first. As Adora inhaled, Catra practically shouted. 

“I love you too.” The words blurred together so fast she wasn’t sure if Adora understood them or not. But after a few wide-eyed blinks and a blush of pink to her cheeks, Catra knew she did, which made her feel embarrassed. But she had to stand her ground now. Too late to chicken out. “I love you, Adora. I always have. Always.” 

Adora leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, breathing a sigh of relief. “I love you, Catra.” They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity, neither one sure of who should make the first move and close the gap. Catra’s heart was pounding almost as furiously as her head -or maybe her head was pounding because her heart was thumping so fast -but she was perilized in the uncertainty of this moment. Nothing would ever be the same after this. Adora leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was as if they’d both been holding their breath, and now they could finally breathe. This was how it was meant to be. Catra knew she didn’t want things to go back to the way they were. This is what made her truly happy -Adora. 

There was a poof and Glimmer teleported herself and Bow into the room. “We heard voices. Is Catra-” 

“Oh!” 

“Ah.” 

“We’ll come back later. Glad you’re not dead.” 

Poof. But Catra and Adora were too busy sharing silent excitement for whatever came next. Whatever challenges they would face, they would face together.


End file.
